1. Field of the Invention
This application relates generally to motorized personal watercraft, and, more specifically, to motorized personal watercraft whose motor may be steered by banking a board in the desired direction of a turn.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motorized watercraft provide recreation and enjoyment for many users and have recently become increasingly popular. Conventional motorized watercraft are essentially miniature boats allowing a rider to sit or stand on a boat-like hull. Stability to these watercraft are provided by the hull configuration and buoyancy. Typically a rider steers one of these watercraft by rotating handlebars coupled to a pivotable nozzle that vectors a jet of water from an inboard motor in a selected direction. The operation and ride of these watercraft, therefore, is akin to a small maneuverable boat.
Many riders, especially those accustomed to board sports such as surfing or windsurfing, are disappointed with the performance of conventional watercraft and would prefer the enhanced control and maneuverability inherent in controlling a board's movement by shifting one's balance. Therefore, a need exists for a motorized board-based watercraft. However, simply integrating a motor to a surfboard-like board has resulted in unstable watercraft that are likely to injure a rider. Therefore, a need exists for a motorized board-based watercraft with enhanced stability.
Several attempts have been made to create stable motorized board watercraft. However, these attempts have had serious shortcomings. Notably, the attempts have added stability to the board by rigidly affixing outrigger floats to the board. This addition of outriggers to a board has increased stability of the board at the expense of maneuverability and control of the board. Thus, these board and outrigger watercraft are unable to deliver a board-like riding experience.